Concentrated sound and unadorned structures, an undercurrent of terse and wilful emotionality, rhythm as a vehicle of expression, instrumental timbre as a means of character...

Concentrated sound and unadorned structures, an undercurrent of terse and wilful emotionality, rhythm as a vehicle of expression, instrumental timbre as a means of character delineation, even the emancipation and 'autonomization' of pitch and sonority - all these features have been present from the very beginning in the music of Steffen Schleiermacher, a composer born in the German town of Halle. With one exception the selection on this CD focuses entirely on early but decisive works by this young composer, pianist and ensemble director, and thus ultimately reflects his musical maturation in the former state of East Germany up to and including the year 1988.